The onus of proof on fracking and earthquakes

Here in New Zealand there is growing concern that fracking could be triggering earthquakes around our coastline. New Zealand lies along the Pacific Rim, and is only an island state as the result of upward pressure of the two plates. Earthquakes, and some very severe ones like the recent Christchurch quake 2011, are a regular fact of life.

Most of the time we don’t feel them and only know they’ve happened when they’re reported in the media or on the websites we check out from time to time. The science of measuring, predicting and identifying the cause of earthquakes is in its infancy, and until more data is available it’s shaky ground to say fracking causes earthquakes. The few related incidents don’t give enough scientific proof that the practice is dangerous for our earth.

Consider these requirements for checking out the validity of research:

Just like the earth was believed to be flat until the Portugese explorer,Ferdinand Megellan, organised the expedition that resulted in the first circumnavigation of the Earth in the 1500s, fracking is at the moment considered a safe and efficient way of discovering deposits of natural gas or oil. That’s the ‘flat earth’ view.

How long must we wait to find out if there is a ‘provable’ link between the two before we say enough is enough? The many waged war against the hunting of whales; a few lonely voices were raised in defence of bees against the relentless onslaught of pesticides. How close do we have to go in causing earthquakes before we accept the evidence of proof and say instead we won’t do this?